The present invention relates to an automatic faucet wherein a closing valve operates under signals from a sensor for detecting a human body and a discharging member disposed at the front end portion of a water passage extending downstream of the closing valve discharges water.
An automatic faucet provided with a discharging member and an optical sensor disposed close to and directed in the same direction as the discharging member is disclosed in Japanese Utility-Model Laid-Open Publication No.2-93369. In this automatic faucet, the optical sensor projects light in parallel with the stream line of the discharging water and detects the hands of a user, wherever the hands are put into the stream line of the discharging water, and the water starts to discharge. The automatic faucet is therefore convenient. In the automatic faucet, a pair of spaces are formed in the front end portion of a cylindrical faucet body. The discharging member is installed in one of the spaces and the optical sensor is installed in the other of the spaces. Therefore, the automatic faucet has a disadvantage that the front end portion of the faucet has a complex structure that makes assembly of the faucet difficult, production cost of the faucet high, and maintenance of the faucet troublesome.
The object of the present invention is to provide an automatic faucet that is convenient for the user, easy to assemble, producible at low cost and easy to maintain.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an automatic faucet comprising a closing valve, a controller of the closing valve, a discharging member connected to the closing valve through a pipe, an optical sensor connected to the controller through an electric wire and a cylindrical faucet body through which the pipe and the electric wire are passed, wherein the discharging member and the optical sensor are directed in the same direction, assembled in a unit, and installed in a single space formed in the front end portion of the faucet body.
The discharging member and the optical sensor are directed in the same direction. Therefore, wherever a user puts his or her hands into the stream line of the discharging water, the optical sensor projecting light in parallel with the stream line of the discharging water detects the hands and the water starts to discharge. The automatic faucet of the present invention is therefore convenient. The discharging member and the optical sensor are assembled in a unit and installed in a single space formed in the front end portion of the faucet body. Thus, the front end portion of the automatic faucet of the present invention has a simple structure. Therefore, the automatic faucet of the present invention is easy to assemble, producible at low cost, and easy to maintain.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the discharging member and the optical sensor are assembled to be detachable.
The discharging member and the optical sensor assembled to be detachable can be detached from each other and maintained independently. Therefore, maintenance of the automatic faucet becomes easy. Moreover, they can be exchanged independently. Therefore, the cost of maintaining the automatic faucet can be reduced.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the optical sensor surrounds the discharging member.
The optical sensor surrounding the discharging member can fill an annular space formed between the discharging member and the peripheral circumferential surface of the single space in the front end portion of the faucet body. Therefore, cleaning of the front end portion of the automatic faucet becomes easy.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the discharging member is fixed to the faucet body with a screw upwardly threaded into the discharging member.
The screw can be easily disengaged. Therefore, the discharging member and the optical sensor assembled in a unit can be easily detached from the faucet body and maintenance of the automatic faucet becomes easy. The head of the screw upwardly threaded into the discharging member is shield from the view of the user. Therefore, the automatic faucet is more appealing during operation.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the discharging member is screwed into the faucet body to be fixed to the faucet body.
Connection by screwing can be easily released. Therefore, the discharging member and the optical sensor assembled in a unit can be easily detached from the faucet body and maintenance of the automatic faucet becomes easy.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the discharging member is provided with key grooves.
Connection of the discharging member with the faucet body by screwing can be easily released by rotating a tool engaging the key grooves. Therefore, the discharging member and the optical sensor assembled in a unit can be easily detached from the faucet body and maintenance of the automatic faucet becomes easy.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the discharging member is provided with slits at its front end.
The discharging member can be compressed in the radial direction as the slits become narrow. Thus, an annular space between the discharging member and the peripheral circumferential surface of the single space in the front end portion of the faucet body is enlarged, which makes the work of detaching the discharging member from the faucet body easy. Therefore, maintenance of the automatic faucet becomes easy.